Sioux Falls Man Convicted of Distributing Child Pornography

United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that Maksim Stefanyuk, age 27, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was found guilty of two counts of distributing child pornography, one count of receiving child pornography, and one count of failing to register as a sex offender, as a result of a federal jury trial in Sioux Falls. The jury returned the verdict on July 19, 2018.

The charges carry a minimum penalty of 15 years in federal prison and a maximum of 40 years in federal prison, and/or a $250,000 fine, at least 5 years of supervised release, and a $400 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. 

Stefanyuk was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 9, 2017.  Law enforcement officers searched Stefanyuk’s Sioux Falls residence on February 22, 2017, looking for evidence involving the distribution of child pornography on the internet using a file sharing program.  During the search, officers seized the defendant’s computer and found child pornography after a forensic examination.  Stefanyuk had registered as a sex offender, but claimed to live in Minnesota, while working in South Dakota.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, the Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office, and the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, all of which are part of the South Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Clapper prosecuted the case.

A presentence investigation was ordered.  The defendant was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.